


The Christmas Wish

by Diakkomass 2020 (Diakkomass20xx), Ryuucaro, tititenis



Series: Diakkomass 2020 [3]
Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Akko is a film student, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Custom Creator's Skin, Diana is a doctor, F/F, no magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:34:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27844576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diakkomass20xx/pseuds/Diakkomass%202020, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryuucaro/pseuds/Ryuucaro, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tititenis/pseuds/tititenis
Summary: For the third day of Diakkomas, we're sharing a story on how the festive spirits of Christmas sometimes nudge two souls towards the right direction: together. Tititenis and Ryuucaro present to us 'The Christmas Wish', where Diana finds herself rediscovering the magic of Christmas in the warmth of Akko's kindness - with a little help from a mysterious someone!-kayr0ssEveryone at Luna Nova Hospital knows that Diana Cavendish doesn't like to celebrate Christmas. In fact, it wasn't strange for anyone to see the blonde doctor doing a shift on Christmas Eve. Yet with the arrival of Akko, a sweet and charismatic volunteer, Diana finds herself helping the brunette plan the hospital's holiday party.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Series: Diakkomass 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2034991
Comments: 31
Kudos: 136





	The Christmas Wish

**December 18, 1999**

**London, England**

Staring at the holiday decorated streetlights in front of her window, an eight year old Diana Cavendish knows that this year’s Christmas is not going to be like any other Christmas. Usually by this time they would already be done with placing all the decorations around the house, with getting presents for her aunt and cousins and with preparing the cookies and milk that Santa always drank on Christmas Eve.

Yet this year they hadn’t done any of that.

Instead, Diana had been told by her aunt to stay away from her mother’s room, who had not been feeling too well for the last couple of weeks. And Diana, who only wished for her mother to recover so they could celebrate the holiday together, had done as asked without hesitation.

But there was only one week left before Christmas and they had nothing ready! Diana knew how much her mother loved this holiday; which only made the young girl want to celebrate it even more. So, if Diana were to go today to tell her mother that they needed to start getting things ready, she knew they would be able to finish by Christmas Eve.

Hence, for the first time in her whole life, Diana chose to go against the orders an adult had given her. And, sneakily making her way up the stairs to her mother’s room, the blonde girl is ready to step inside; only to freeze when she hears the voices of her aunt Daryl and a man coming from inside the room.

“Doctor, how is my sister doing?” her aunt asks him softly.

“I’m afraid not too well.” he admits to the woman worriedly. “As I suspected, her health is rapidly deteriorating and she doesn’t have much time.”

A long silence is the only response.

“How long do I have left, Doctor?” her mother’s voice sounds calm.

“Bernie…” her aunt chokes out.

“A week, perhaps a little more.” he adds sadly. “I’m afraid that apart from giving you pain medicine, there’s nothing else I can do to help.”

“I understand. We thank you for all you’ve done to take care of me, Doctor.” Bernadette says to him as she watches them open the door to her room, only to see Diana standing outside of it with tears in her eyes.

Oh no.

“Mommy.” Diana cries as she rushes past her aunt and the doctor, who give her mournful looks before stepping outside, probably to discuss the medication and what would come next.

“My darling.” she smiles as she hugs her daughter close. “Whatever are you crying for?”

“That doctor said you would leave me.” the blonde cries as she holds her tight. “Is that true?”

Bernadette stares at her daughter, knowing that she was too smart to be deceived by merciful lies.

“Yes.” she whispers as she sees her Diana tear up. “But at the same time no.”

This makes Diana stare at her.

“I will never leave you, my darling. No matter what, I will always be with you right here.” she points at her heart and notices the paper Diana was holding in her hands. “May I see?”

Diana nods and hands her the list of activities she had worked on for the two of them to do before Christmas Eve.

“Oh! It seems like we need to prepare for the holiday!” Bernadette laughs. “How foolish of me to forget such an important party.”

“But mommy…” Diana whispers, confused by her mother’s enthusiasm and what the doctor had just said.

“Nothing will stop me from celebrating Christmas with my daughter.” Bernadette vows to her as she hugs her tight. “I promise you Dia: We’ll have the best Christmas party ever.”

Diana nods, wanting to feel reassured by her mother’s words and touch, which momentarily make her forget what her aunt and doctor had discussed earlier.

It is only after Christmas Eve, when Diana kisses her mother goodnight and goes to bed, that she remembers the doctor’s words.

And it is the next morning, as she steps downstairs to see that the cookies and milk were gone, that she hears her aunt crying.

That was the last time Diana Cavendish celebrated Christmas.

* * *

**December 1st, 2020**

**London, England**

Making her way through familiar hallways, Doctor Cavendish can already see how the hospital is preparing for the upcoming holiday. Colorful lights and decorations were being put on the walls by the staff, who smiled and waved at her as she walked by.

A yearly tradition at Luna Nova General Hospital, Diana couldn’t help but wonder if doing all of this actually made a difference to the many patients and families who had to spend their time inside this building.

“Difficult to imagine focusing on such trivial things as the holiday when you have loved ones in here.” Diana murmurs to herself, only to be stopped by Barbara and Hannah, who were the two nurses that were usually assigned to her.

“Good morning Doctor Cavendish.” Hannah says politely as she hands her a folder. “Here is the list of patients you have for the day.”

“Any new developments that I should know about the patients?” she asks them formally, heading towards the break room to get herself a coffee.

“One new patient. Her name is Mavis Colby and she’s a senior citizen. She checked herself in after experiencing some chest pains.” Barbara adds. “She was given ibuprofen and is being closely monitored by the floor nurse.”

“Good.” Diana says and changes her route to the woman’s room. “Make sure you have an x-ray room ready to do a chest scan. Also, is she plugged to the ECG machine?”

Hannah and Barbara nod in confirmation.

“Alright. Then if that’s all, please excuse me. Oh, before I forget, who is the intern scheduled for my rounds today?”

“It’s Jansson, Doctor Cavendish.” Barbara tells her.

“Great, Jansson is a good intern and very capable.” Diana murmurs and watches the two nurses stay in front of her. “Please page her so she meets me at Mrs. Colby’s room.” she tells them as she stands outside the new patient’s room, knocking once before making her way in. “Good morning Mrs. Colby.” she says politely as she notices an old woman with blue eyes smiling warmly at her.

“Morning Doctor.” the old woman responds as she watches Diana make her way close to the machine next to her. “And please, call me Mavis. My mother was Mrs. Colby.” she chuckles.

Diana smiles softly at her.

“Understood. So tell me, how are you feeling this morning, Mrs. Mavis? I heard you came in after experiencing some chest pains?” Diana asks as she takes a look at her electrocardiogram.

“Much better after that nice nurse gave me some ibuprofen.” Mavis tells her warmly.

“Mmmm, I see some irregularities in the electrocardiogram.” Diana tells her as she brings out her stethoscope. “Now, I will ask you to breathe normally as I hear your heartbeat.” she moves the stethoscope so it’s on top of the old woman’s heart.

Noticing that her heart was beating a little faster than normally, Diana takes that into consideration and steps back, putting her stethoscope away and focusing on the older woman who was calmly staring at her.

“Any bad news?” Mavis asks her.

“Just some extra tests that I need you to take before I’m able to reach a diagnosis.” Diana tells her confidently. “Nothing to worry about.”

The older woman nods.

Hearing a knock on the door, Diana calls for the intern to step in, the familiar sight of Lotte Jansson’s orange hair and glasses bringing a distraction to the many different scenarios and diagnoses Diana had thought of.

“Mrs. Mavis, this is Doctor Lotte Jansson. She will be assisting me with your case and will be available to answer any questions you have regarding the tests I plan to have you take.” she stares at Lotte. “Doctor Jansson, I want you to go ahead and schedule the following tests for Mrs. Mavis.”

Diana waits until she sees Lotte nod.

“Schedule some extra blood tests as well as a chest X-ray, an echocardiogram and a ct scan.” she tells the younger doctor who is paying rapt attention to her.

“Understood Doctor Cavendish.” Lotte tells her as she’s done writing the many tests Diana had asked.

“So many tests…” Mavis chuckles. “Should I be worried?”

“Not at all. The better I understand your heart, the better I will be able to treat it. These tests will help me do that.” Diana assures her.

“Your confidence is very calming dear.” Mavis relaxes. “Takes away the foolish fears I started to have.”

“To have fears and concerns is not foolish. That is why Doctor Jansson will be ready to explain the procedures after I depart.” Diana reminds her.

Lotte nods in agreement.

“Thank you dear.” Mavis says to the younger doctor who blushes at the term of endearment. “And thanks to you as well, Dia. You’ve certainly made this old woman’s fears diminish.”

When Diana hears that familiar nickname coming from Mrs. Mavis, she does all she can to not freeze.

No one apart from her mother had called her that way.

“I’m sorry.” Mavis apologizes, having clearly noticed how her words affected the blonde doctor. “I stepped out of line.”

“Please think nothing of it.” Diana appeases her. “I just haven’t heard that name in a long time.” she smiles politely. “I will be back once I have your results.” she nods once and leaves the room, doing her best to not rush out.

Once she’s safely back in her office, Diana lets her calm and collected facade fall, the familiar sadness and loneliness she felt during this time of year more intense than usual after that reminder of happier days.

Of the days when her mother called her Dia.

“Stop it.” she whispers to herself as she focuses on her paperwork. “I have no time to think of such foolish things. Not now and not ever.”

* * *

**December 2nd, 2020**

**London, England**

After a restless night where Diana couldn’t stop herself from remembering her mother, the doctor was exhausted and dreading to start her shift. Yet even though this morning was not a good one, the moment she entered Luna Nova General Hospital her whole demeanor changed. She was here for her patients and she needed to do her best for them.

Even if there was one that had surprisingly made her feel out of her element.

“Good morning Doctor Cavendish.” Lotte tells her with a soft smile as she hands her the exams of Mrs. Mavis. “Here are all the exams and test results.”

“Did you see something?” Diana asks her as she herself reads the exams.

“Like you suspected, it seems like Mrs. Mavis will need a coronary bypass surgery to remove what is making her experience those chest pains and shortness of breath.” Lotte tells her.

“It was good we were able to detect it so early.” Diana says relieved. “With older patients, the sooner we discover things like this, the more favorable the prospects of them recovering are.”

Lotte nods in understanding.

“I want you to go ahead and schedule a room for the surgery. I will go ahead and inform her of the next steps as well as ask her how she would like to proceed. If by some chance she does not want to have the surgery…” Diana looks away for a moment. “I will let you know.”

“Understood Doctor Cavendish.” the younger woman says as she walks towards the nurse’s area, talking with Hannah and Barbara about setting that surgery up.

Stepping towards Mrs. Mavis’ room, Diana hopes the conversation she’s about to have with the older woman will be productive. While most times Diana was able to convince her patients to follow her recommendations, there were times when they refused, asking for alternative measures or opting out of the surgery.

It was unfortunate but it was part of being a doctor and Diana had learned to cope with it.

Yet the closer she got to Mrs. Mavis’ room, the clearer she heard two voices coming from inside her patient’s room.

Thinking that it could have been a family relative, Diana knocks once before opening the door and finding familiar blue eyes smiling kindly at her.

But if she had to be honest, it was the young woman next to Mrs. Mavis who had gotten her attention. She wasn’t very tall, but with long brunette hair and brown eyes, Diana couldn’t remember the last time she had seen such a beautiful woman.

A woman who was now smiling warmly at her.

Huffing, the blonde doctor takes a moment to compose herself before focusing back on Mrs. Mavis, who was now smirking knowingly at her.

_No, she couldn’t have noticed, right?_

“Mrs. Mavis, good morning.” Diana tells her kindly as she makes her way closer to the old woman. “I hope you had a good sleep?”

“I did. The staff here is so kind and welcoming. Makes me miss home a little less.”

“I’m very happy to hear that.” the blonde says honestly. “Hopefully, with what I’ve discovered and my recommendations, you’ll be able to leave the hospital and join your loved ones very soon.” she turns to Akko. “Are you a family relative of Mrs. Mavis?”

“I wish!” the brunette laughs. “She’s just so kind and fun. No, I’m a volunteer at the hospital.”

“A volunteer?” Diana asks curiously.

“What Akko was explaining to me before you arrived, Doctor Cavendish, was that the hospital has volunteers that come spend time with the patients during the holiday. Since some of us do not have family members to visit us, the volunteers come talk with us instead.” Mavis explains to Diana.

And they were right. The Holiday Volunteer program had been an initiative done by Chief Holbrooke, who wanted to help the patients that didn’t have any family feel less lonely. Partnering with different organizations, this year was going to be the third time the program was implemented at Luna Nova. And usually Diana paid close attention and remembered this event.

But with everything that had happened the day before and her sleepless night…

She had completely forgotten about it.

“My apologies for not remembering.” Diana says as she turns to stare at Akko, who had been looking at her. “And thank you for volunteering during this busy time, Miss…”

“Akko Kagari!” the brunette smiles at her. “And no problem! I usually travel back home for the holidays but this year I couldn’t. So instead of mulling at home, one of my friends told me about this volunteer program and I chose to register.”

“I see.” Diana nods and yet again catches the old woman’s amused smirk, making her realize that she had gotten distracted yet again. “Ehem, so, Mrs. Mavis, the reason I came to see you today is because I have your exam results and I was hoping I could speak with you about them. Is now a good time?” she asks politely.

“Of course!” Mavis stares at Akko. “I hope you’ll come visit me again sometime soon darling.”

“I would love that!” Akko smiles and grabs the old woman’s hand and squeezes it, the gesture one that makes Diana smile. “I’ll be here every day until Christmas day.”

“Wonderful!” Mavis says honestly. “Hopefully by then some Christmas magic will find its way into Luna Nova General Hospital.” she whispers to herself as she turns back to Diana who had been staring at the brunette again as she left the room. “So tell me Doctor.” she chuckles. “What do I have?”

“Right!” Diana blushes a little but then turns serious. “Mrs. Mavis, we found some irregularities in your heart that made us suspect heart failure. After performing many exams, we were able to confirm that you need coronary bypass surgery. It is invasive but recovery time is fast and with how healthy you are, I don’t foresee any problems.”

“Will I have to stay at the hospital until I recover?” Mrs. Mavis asks.

“Just for a week. Then you will be able to return home as long as you have a caretaker to aid you.”

“What if I don’t have one?” she whispers and this vulnerability makes Diana’s heart clench.

“You will be able to stay in one of our patient rooms until you’re fully recovered since you’re a senior citizen.” the blonde doctor reassures her.

“And how long will recovery time take?”

“Four to five weeks approximately.” Diana informs her and swears she sees the old woman smiling after hearing the news.

_Did she wish to stay at the hospital for that long?_

“It’s good to hear that I’ll be well taken care of during that time.” Mavis interrupts her line of thought. “And I trust you, Doctor Cavendish. So you have my permission to perform the operation.”

* * *

**December 5th, 2020**

**London, England**

It had been two days since Diana had performed the bypass surgery on Mrs. Mavis and everything had turned out great. Not only was she recovering faster than what Diana had expected, but the woman’s mood was contagious, with everyone around her smiling and feeling better about themselves.

Diana, who wasn’t unaffected by the old woman’s presence, had also found herself visiting her more than what she had to, the calm and pleasant back and forth the two usually had becoming very soothing for the blonde doctor.

Expecting to find Mavis waiting for her, she instead sees that the old woman is fast asleep with Akko sitting next to her. The brunette was wearing blue jeans and a pink long sleeve turtleneck shirt that was accentuated by her loose hair.

Diana found herself yet again captivated by the brunette.

Stepping inside the room, she smiles apologetically when her sudden entrance surprises Akko, who had jumped a little at the sound of the door opening.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Doctor Cavendish!” Akko pouts as she takes deep breaths. “You almost scared the life out of me.”

“At least you’re in a hospital where you’ll be able to get treated right away?” she tries to joke and sees the way this makes Akko smile.

“Funny.” the brunette chuckles. “Very funny. But I would prefer to keep my hospital visits to ones of only volunteering.” she gives her a serious look that surprises Diana. “Tell me Doctor. Is Mavis well?”

Diana stares at her.

“I know you’re her doctor and you can’t share her information with me, but I worry.” Akko explains to her. “This may be me imagining things, but I get the idea that Mavis is one of those people who will tell you that everything is fine even when it’s not.” she smiles at her. “Do you know what I mean?”

 _I do…_ Diana thinks sadly.

_Believe me, I do._

“I may not be able to tell you exactly what Mrs. Mavis had, but what I can tell you is that she’s truly doing remarkably well. She is recovering quickly and my earlier prognosis of five weeks of recovery time will turn out to be four at most.”

“That’s great news.” Akko exhales, truly relieved. “Thank you for telling me that, Doctor Cavendish.”

“I’m glad I was able to assuage your fears.”

Instead of answering, Akko stares at her, her gaze unfaltering.

Confused about the sudden behavior of the brunette, Diana feels herself blushing, wanting to tell Akko to stop looking at her yet being unable to do so. Instead, she finds herself staring at Akko as well, analyzing and wondering what it was about this woman who intrigued Diana so much.

“Can I ask you something?” Akko asks suddenly and this makes Diana gulp, nodding to hide her indiscretion at having been so unprofessional.

_Just what the hell was wrong with her?!_

“How old are you, Doctor Cavendish?”

“‘29.” she simply says.

“Really?!” Akko smiles brightly. “I’m 27 so we are not that far apart! You must be a really good doctor to be practicing at that age though.” she compliments her and this makes Diana blush.

“I studied a lot.” Diana is surprisingly honest with the brunette. “I did not have a lot of friends growing up and I wasn’t very close with my family. So studying was a way for me to stay busy and focused.”

 _Great, and now she’ll think you’re a loser…_ Diana scolds herself.

“That’s great! That you were able to take a not very good situation and make something good out of it.” Akko tells her honestly and this optimism makes Diana’s previous sour mood dissipate.

Just who was this woman and why was it that she was capable of affecting Diana’s emotions like this?

“Besides, it led you to helping people and saving lives! You’re like a rock star but cooler!” she gushes as she suddenly holds Diana’s hands, which only makes the doctor blush.

“I… Thank you.” she says embarrassed, blushing even more when the two of them are reminded that they’re standing closer than what one would expect by a familiar cheeky voice.

“Well hello Doctor.” Mavis smirks as she watches the women stop holding hands and jump apart.

“Mavis!” Akko laughs as she gets close to the old woman. “You shouldn’t scare people like that, you know! First the Doctor and then you. I swear it’s like you’re both trying to kill me.”

“At least you’ll already be at the hospital darling.” Mavis tells her and that response makes Diana laugh, which in turn earns her amused looks from the two other women in the room.

Neither of them knew that this was the first time Diana had ever laughed so freely since all those years ago.

* * *

**December 12, 2020**

**London, England**

“Diana!” the blonde hears a familiar voice call her and she turns around to see her childhood friend Andrew Hambridge, who was also a doctor, heading towards her.

“Andrew.” she smiles politely as they continue heading towards the cafeteria. “Is there something I can help you with?” she pretends she doesn’t know what he’s going to ask her but she definitely does.

He wants to invite her to his family’s holiday party, a year event where the Hambridge as well as the Cavendish spend the night together celebrating the upcoming holiday. Before her mother’s passing, Diana loved going to that party, the sights and sounds of holiday music and sweets wonderful to her.

Now they were just a bitter reminder of how her holidays’ used to be, which meant that the blonde doctor refused her friend’s invitation every year.

“You know what I want to ask you.” Andrew chuckles.

“And you already know what my answer will be.” Diana says softly. “I really thank you for the invitation, but I again find myself unable to attend due to having shifts at the hospital.”

“Shifts that you don’t need to have but that’s alright.” the brunet surrenders. “Just know that the invitation to join us is always open. Besides, I know your aunt would love to see you. It’s been a while.”

Diana gulps, feeling a little guilty about her deteriorating relationship with her aunt. After her mother’s death, the two of them took it pretty hard; with Daryl distancing herself from Diana the more she grew up and with Diana feeling guilty for making her aunt uncomfortable.

Although her aunt never mistreated her or anything of the sort, she could see the sadness in her eyes whenever the two spoke.

_Probably because I look a lot like my mother._

“Indeed.” Diana says as she moves to get some food. “I’ll make sure I call her next time I’m free.”

“Good.” Andrew smiles at her. “I know this time of the year is super difficult for you, but don’t forget you have family and friends who care for you.” he grabs a banana and some Pringles.

“You’re not eating?” she asks him as she sits at an empty table.

“Can’t. Have a surgery in 30 minutes. Just wanted to say hi and get some snacks.”

“Always thinking with your stomach.” Diana chuckles. “But good luck, not that you’ll need it but you understand the sentiment.”

“Which is appreciated.” Andrew tells her. “See you later Diana.”

Staring at her food, Diana can’t help but think about what Andrew just told her and how right he had been about the holidays being a tough time for her. As much as she didn’t want to admit it to herself, the mere thought of going to a party or spending time with her family and friends this time of year was inconceivable for her.

_Almost as if I’ve chosen to forget about her…_

“Hey! Is this seat taken?” the doctor looks up and sees Akko smiling brightly at her with a tray of food in her hands.

No one ever asked Diana to join her at lunch.

“It isn’t.” Diana says surprised as she watches Akko sit down in front of her.

Taking a look at her surroundings, Diana notices that everyone is staring at the two of them, all surprised at the fact that someone had asked Diana to sit with her and that Diana had accepted.

“This is my first time eating at the cafeteria.” Akko converses to her as if nothing was going on. “My friend told me that the food is good here so I wanted to give it a try.”

“Your friend?” Diana asks curiously.

“She’s an intern here at the hospital.” the brunette tells her as she eats her pasta. “Oh, this is good.” she murmurs and cleans her mouth with a napkin.” Her name is Lotte Jannson, maybe you’ve worked with her?”

“Doctor Jannson.” Diana smiles. “She’s a really good doctor. She assists me in my rounds from time to time.”

“Nice! I’m super happy to see she’s doing well. Lately I’ve been running into her as I go from room to room but most of the time I’m here I spend it talking to patients.”

“How is that going?” Diana is honestly curious. “It would be difficult for me to find myself talking with strangers about topics that have nothing to do with medicine or their reasons for being at the hospital.”

“I can see that. And at first it was tough for me as well. But after the first questions are out of the way, you start talking and getting to know each other. We all are intrinsically unique and getting to talk with so many diverse people is awesome.”

Diana stares at her, fascinated by the earnest and honest way Akko was describing her time with the hospital patients.

“It makes me sad though, that they have nothing to look forward to as they wait in the hospital.” Akko murmurs. “Especially during the holiday season.”

Diana remains silent, not knowing what to say.

“I know this may be super random, but I’ve heard that your word has a lot of influence here at the hospital.” Akko tells her innocently.

Diana stares at her.

“And, I was thinking that perhaps I could talk to you about doing something for the patients that will be spending the holiday here. You know, to cheer them up and make them feel better about not being with their families.”

Oh no.

“I guess what I’m trying to ask you is if you could help me plan a holiday party for the patients here!” Akko bows as she says this, getting the attention of everyone in the cafeteria.

Diana was mortified.

“I… I really can’t help you with that. Surely the hospital isn’t the place for such a frivolous event like that.”

“Frivolous?” Akko looks up at her and the blonde can see how her words have affected the younger woman. “Why would making the patients feel welcomed and appreciated during this time of year be considered frivolous? Not being able to spend the holiday with the people you love… It’s really hard.”

Diana knows this.

“And I guess I wanted this small party to make the patients feel better about Chritstmas.” Akko murmurs and the way she looks so shy and embarrassed makes Diana feel weird.

She may just know the brunette student for a week, but the look that Akko had on her face was not one that Diana wanted to see.

“I…” Diana knows she’ll regret this but still finds herself speaking. “I could talk to my boss and propose to her the party idea.”

Akko starts smiling at her.

“I can’t promise you anything!” the doctor warns her. “But I can try.”

“Oh thank you Diana!” she squeezes her hands and shakes them, making the blonde blush at the familiarity Akko was having with her. “Oh, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have called you by your first name, doctor.”

“That 's alright.” Diana murmurs as she separates their hands. “Just, please don’t do it right in the middle of the cafeteria?” she groans as she feels everyone’s eyes.

Truly, she should have been mad at Akko for forcing her to do this. For giving her those eyes that were somehow capable of bending Diana’s will.

Instead, she found herself smiling fondly at the younger brunette who had now started talking about the many plans she had for the holiday party.

And for the first time since she was a child, her mother’s death was the last thing on her mind.

* * *

**December 15, 2020**

**London, England**

Walking towards the small room Akko and her were going to use for the holiday party, Diana was pleasantly surprised to find herself enjoying her time planning the event. Unsurprisingly, when she had asked Chief Holbrooke if it would be okay for them to host a small holiday party; the older doctor had been ecstatic and welcoming to the idea, putting Diana and Akko in charge of all the logistics.

Apparently, Akko was just as popular as Diana was in the hospital, with many of the patients and staff speaking wonders of the brunette. In fact there were some who joked that she was a guardian angel that had been specifically sent to them to brighten their holiday.

 _Can’t say I don’t agree with them_ , Diana thinks with a smile, remembering with fondness the extra time she had spent with Akko at the hospital planning and organizing the party. There was just something so refreshing and warm about Akko that made Diana unconsciously want to get closer to her.

And the longer she spent with Akko, the less she cared about maintaining her distance or acting aloof.

“I’m surprised too.” she can hear some nurses whisper from the nurses’ station. “I thought Doctor Cavendish didn’t like the holidays? That’s why she’s always at the hospital during Christmas, right?”

Groaning, Diana makes her presence known, noticing the way the nurses look away and start acting busy, as if they hadn’t just been talking about her. Ignoring them, she makes her way to the meeting room, Akko already there waiting for her.

“Diana!” the brunette complains the moment she walks in. “You’re late.”

“My surgery ran longer than expected.” she apologizes with a smile. “Surely me saving a life takes priority over decorating?” she jokes.

“It's not fair to use that against me.” Akko mutters which only makes Diana laugh.

“But I am here now and I’m ready to help.” the blonde offers as she gets some lights and starts hanging them from the wall.

“ _Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul. With a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal._ ” Akko sings as she decorates, the sound soothing and welcoming for Diana, who was slowly moving in sync with the song.

“ _Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale, they say. He was made of snow but the children know how he came to life one day.”_

Closing her eyes for a moment, Diana gets lost in the music, happy memories of her mom and her dancing and singing along to this song making her smile.

“ _There must have been some magic in that old top hat they found._ ” Akko sings happily.

 _“For when they placed it on his head he began to dance around._ ” Diana belts and this gets her a delighted squeal from Akko.

Oh no.

“You sang.”

“No I didn’t.” Diana knows she’s blushing.

“Alright.” Akko smirks and turns around, focusing on the wall she was decorating.

“ _Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul. With a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal.”_ the two sing, Akko pretending she didn’t hear Diana join her and Diana pretending she didn’t enjoy opening up to the brunette.

[ ](https://ryuucaro.tumblr.com/post/636456845963345920)

* * *

**December 19, 2020**

**London, England**

Now with just a week left before the holiday party, Diana was realizing she felt excited about it. Not only had Akko and her spent most of their free time decorating the room, talking with the hospital cooks about the food and preparing the entertainment of the evening; they had also spent that whole time getting to know one another. Diana had learned that Akko was a filmmaker from Japan, that she really liked onigiri, that she loved Christmas songs, that she would kill for anything that had dulce de leche in it…

It hadn’t been difficult for her to realize she had developed a crush on Akko, which had scared her a little. But with the way the brunette spent time with her and the way they would get caught staring at each other…

Perhaps she wasn’t alone in having these feelings?

The mere possibility of that made Diana smile, wondering how it would be like to confess to Akko what she felt.

Concentrating on what she had to do, Diana made her way towards Mavis’ room, hoping that Akko would be there as well so that they could talk about the cake they were planning to buy for the party.

“Just look at me.” she chuckles. “Talking about holiday cakes and planning Christmas parties.” she murmurs and gets ready to knock at Mavis’ door, only stopping when she hears Akko’s voice clearly coming from inside.

“I’m so happy Diana is having fun!” the brunette says excitedly. “You know Mavis, when I first proposed the idea to her, I wasn’t sure if she was going to say yes.”

“Why?” Mavis asks her.

“I had heard some people say that Diana doesn’t like Christmas.” Akko admits to her. “Which I found surprising because who doesn’t like Christmas!” she exclaims. “But I’m happy she had a change of heart and that she’s helping me. Without her supporting this, I know we wouldn’t have gotten the hospital’s permission to do the party.”

The moment she hears this, Diana’s earlier happiness dissipates. All those moments where Akko had opened up to her, in which they had talked about their lives and their hobbies…

Akko had purposely gotten close to her so that she would get approval to do the party because she knew that Diana was close to the chief and could directly ask permission.

Akko had used her.

Stepping away from Mavis’ room, the blonde is angry and bitter at having been acting like a fool for the last week. Not only had she stopped dedicating her time to her patients but she had also forgotten why she didn’t celebrate Christmas.

“Christmas only brings back sad memories.” Diana murmurs, unable to hear the rest of Akko’s conversation with Mavis.

“But that’s not why I asked her to do it.” Akko continues telling Mavis, who was focusing on her room’s door. “I did it because I wanted to share the joy of Christmas with Diana. Not only has it been fun getting to know her, but I feel like there’s something between us, you know?” she blushes as she realizes she had confessed to Mavis that she liked Diana.

“If that’s the case…” Mavis smiles warmly at her. “Make sure you tell her so.”

* * *

**December 21, 2020**

**London, England**

Diana was avoiding Akko. The closer it got to the holiday party, the more Diana made sure she was busy so that the brunette woman wouldn’t be able to talk to her. Not only had she left unseen the many messages Akko had sent her, but when she once ran into her at Mavis’ room, the doctor pretended that nothing was wrong, hiding behind her professional demeanor to ask Mavis how she was feeling and to inform her that by the end of the week she would be able to leave the hospital with a clean bill of health.

Diana had been able to see how her curt words and coldness were affecting Akko, who looked sad and hurt at being ignored in such a blatant way.

Still, the blonde was determined to not make the same mistake she had made before. And besides, it wasn’t as if Akko cared, right? The holiday party would still take place, so why was the brunette trying so hard to speak with her?

“She already got what she wanted from me.” Diana mutters as she opens her packed lunch inside her office.

To make sure Akko wouldn’t ambush her in the cafeteria, Diana had started to have her meals in her office. She knew she was being immature about this and that speaking with Akko would clarify things between them.

Yet she still found herself unwilling to do so.

Why?

“Knock knock!” Diana hears the door to her office open and sees Andrew making his way inside, carrying two plates with chocolate cake in them.

Diana loved chocolate cake.

“You were going to miss the cake at the cafeteria.” Andrew smirks knowingly at her. “So I thought I would be a good friend and bring you a slice.”

“Thank you.” Diana says honestly surprised, not used to Andrew behaving so selflessly.

As she extends her hand to grab her piece, the brunet doctor moves it out of her way with a cheeky smile.

Of course.

“Don’t look at me that way! I promise I will give you the cake after you answer me this question.”

Diana stares expectantly at him.

“Why are you avoiding Akko?”

_He calls her Akko too? Wait, do the two know each other? When? How?_

“That’s none of your business.” she says instead. “And Akko? Sounds like the two of you are close.”

“Everyone knows Akko. Hard not to miss her when she has spent almost all her time here decorating and preparing for the holiday party.”

Diana looks at him, hurrying him so he gets to the point he wants to make.

“Didn’t you offer to help her with the party?”

“I did. And I got her the permission she needed to do it.” Diana groans. “Surely you understand how busy we are during this time of year, so spending my time _decorating and holiday planning_ instead of saving lives is not a productive way to spend my time.”

“It is if it makes you happy.” Andrew tells her bluntly. “I saw you with her when the two of you were decorating and planning. I had never seen you look as happy as that. Not since aunt Bernie…”

“Stop it Andrew.” Diana tells him coldly and this makes the brunet freeze.

He knew he had crossed the line.

“I just want you to be happy Diana, that’s all.” Andrew retreats, knowing he wouldn’t get anything more from his friend. “And if being with Akko does so... “ he gives her a sad smile. “Why not give it a chance? I know that’s what your mother would have wanted for you.” he finishes and leaves her office, the slice of cake that he had brought for her completely forgotten.

Diana had lost her appetite.

* * *

**December 24, 2020**

**London, England**

“ _Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul. With a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal.”_

Walking and mingling around the many patients, Akko is doing her best to act and look happy. She had spent almost three weeks planning this party, and even though a very big part of the reason she did the party wasn’t here, that didn’t mean the patients had to see her be all gloomy and upset.

“This is for them too!” Akko scolds herself once more before putting her smile in place and approaching Mavis, who was talking with other patients while eating cake.

“Oh darling!” Mavis tells her with a smile as she stands up and hugs her. “We can’t thank you enough for planning this party. Without you, all of us would have been too sad about the holiday.”

The patients that had been with Mavis nod in confirmation.

“I wasn’t the only one that planned this. Doctor Cavendish helped me as well.” Akko says immediately, the reminder of the blonde’s absence yet again making her sad.

“Oh the good doctor! Is she coming?” one of the patients asks with a smile.

“I don’t thin…” Akko is starting to say but is interrupted by Mavis who tsks at her and pulls her away from the group. “Mavis?” she asks, confused.

“Darling, I say this with all the love I have, but what the hell are you still doing here?!”

“Nani?” Akko is now really confused.

“Why are you here looking all depressed when you can be out there looking for the woman you want to spend the holiday with?” Mavis clarifies to her.

Akko looks down.

“Because she didn’t want to spend it with me.” she murmurs.

“You _think_ she doesn’t. But did you actually ask her?” the old woman asks her knowingly.

Akko hadn’t. After Diana did her best to avoid her, the brunette had given up, choosing to focus on the party and organizing the last-minute details.

“Even if I wanted to ask her, the nurses told me she’s not at the hospital. She took the day off for the first time in years. She is not answering my texts or my calls, so how am I supposed to ask her?” the brunette grumbles.

“Well you go find her of course.” Mavis tells her nonchalantly.

“She could be anywhere in London for all I know.” Akko smiles sadly at her. “Thank you for worrying about me Mavis, but I just don’t know how I would be able to find Diana.”

“She’s on her way to the big tree on Main St.” Mavis says confidently and Akko stares at her.

“How could you know that?” the brunette asks, confused.

“Well magic, darling.” Mavis winks.

A big part of Akko is telling her that she shouldn’t listen to Mavis. That the odds of Diana actually being at Main St. were so small that this was naught but a fool’s errand. But a small part of her, and one that she really wanted to listen to, was telling her that she had nothing to lose.

“You _have_ nothing to lose.” Mavis adds knowingly and Akko looks at her for a moment, suspicious of the old woman who was now walking back to the table where the other patients were.

“Damn it!” she groans and runs out of the room, getting the attention of all the patients who immediately knew where she was going.

“Atta girl.” Mavis smirks. “Now then! Let’s get ready.” she tells the patients who chuckle and nod, moving tables and preparing the room for the brunette’s return.

* * *

Standing in front of the big Christmas tree at Main St., Diana wonders what had made her walk all the way here. Wanting to take the day off so that she wouldn’t be at the hospital when the holiday party started, Diana had the sudden urge to come here.

And, now that she was staring at the same tree that she had visited many years ago with her mother, the blonde doctor was starting to wonder if she was indeed a masochist.

Because why else would she come to the one place that reminded her the most of her mother?

“Diana!” she hears a familiar voice calling for her, which makes her turn around.

“Akko?!” the blonde doctor is surprised.

Shocked, in fact.

“What are you doing here?! What about the party? Did something happen?!” she starts to panic.

“Yes, something did happen.” Akko tells her seriously as she gets closer to her, the people around them making space for the two women to talk. “You were not there.”

“Akko…” Diana whispers but then remembers what she had heard outside Mavis’ room. “But you don’t need me there. I know you only asked me to get involved so that you would get permission to have the party, right? So there’s no point in pretending otherwise.”

“What?!” Akko exclaims. “Why would you even think something like that? Did I ever make you feel that way?”

“No.” Diana admits. “But I heard you. When you were talking to Mavis about the party. How happy you were it got approved and that I helped do that.”

“Then clearly you didn’t hear all our conversation because I also said I wanted to share the joy of Christmas with you! That being around you during those days had made me feel things!” Akko tells her as she blushes. “And that I was hoping you were feeling the same…” she looks away and because of that she fails to see Diana blushing as well.

“I…I didn’t hear that part.” she confesses as she notices the way Akko is squeezing her hands, a sign of nervousness. “If I had, I wouldn’t have acted so immaturely.”

This makes Akko focus on her.

“I… I lost my mother when I was very young on Christmas day.” Diana tells her with a sad smile. “Since then, I’ve never wanted to celebrate the holiday because it always makes me think of her.”

“Diana....”

“But then I met you and I found myself suddenly excited for the holiday.” Diana chuckles. “I was looking forward to our planning meetings and our decoration time. And to you singing those cheesy Christmas songs as we both pretended I wasn’t singing along.” she feels tears falling from her eyes but she doesn’t care. “For the first time in years, I was looking forward to Christmas. And it was all because of you, Akko.”

Akko stares at her.

“I was afraid that you were spending time with me because you had to and not because you wanted to. Because if that was the case, then the feelings I was starting to have for you would have definitely been not reciprocated.” Diana blushes as she admits this.

“They were reciprocated!” Akko screams, which gets her some chuckles from the people around them, who had clearly been listening to their conversation. “They _are_ reciprocated.”

“They are?” Diana whispers in complete awe.

“You silly doctor.” Akko smiles as she closes the distance between them. “Of course they are.” she blushes as she realizes what she had done. “I really, _really_ like you, Doctor Cavendish. And I hope you like me too.”

When she hears those words, something snaps within Diana.

Instead of answering the brunette, who had been nervously waiting for her response, Diana does the next best thing, which is to grab her face and kiss her.

Closing her eyes, Diana feels all the nerves and worries she had experienced during their time apart dissipate, them being replaced by the warmth of Akko’s lips.

A warmth that she could easily find herself getting addicted to.

“Well would you look at that.” both women hear and jump apart to the familiar teasing voice of Mavis.

“Mavis?!” both of them ask at the same time, finally noticing that people were cheering at them as they kissed.

Diana and Akko blush.

“Wait, what are you doing here Mavis?! You’re supposed to be back at the hospital!” Akko is the first one that recovers and states the obvious.

“I’ve got a clean bill of health.” Mavis smiles at them. “Besides, I wasn’t going to miss you two confessing your feelings after I told you where to find the doctor.” she says to Akko.

“While I thank you for intervening, as your doctor I have to ask you to return to the hospital with us…”

“Diana.” Mavis tells her with a sudden seriousness that makes the two younger women stop and stare at her. “I’m happy for you.”

“I…” Diana is speechless for a moment. “Thank you Mavis.”

“Don’t ever forget what the true spirit of Christmas is.” she tells both. “And that just as a light is turned off, another one will be turned on.”

Akko and Diana simply stare at her, feeling that they were no longer talking to the nice old woman who had made her way to Luna Nova all those weeks ago.

This was someone else.

“You’re not Mavis.” Akko whispers knowingly.

“I was never only Mavis.” she smiles kindly. “Just an old woman that had to get a routine operation before her husband returned home from work.” she stares at the sky. “Which turns out to be today, in fact? He is very busy up until Christmas Day.”

What?

“Thank you, Diana, for taking such good care of me.” Mavis hugs her tight. “And I hope I was able to make your Christmas wish of many years ago finally come true?” she whispers to her and this makes the blonde doctor remember her wish.

_Please help me find a way to be happy again._

Nodding and hugging the woman tighter, Diana doesn’t care that she’s crying.

Letting go, she feels Akko getting close to her and holding her hand, almost as if she was confirming to her that she was no longer alone.

Which perhaps she was.

“And Akko, make sure you look after this one. She can be a little stubborn and careless but she has a really good heart.”

“I know.” Akko smiles brightly at her as the two women watch Mavis disappear in a ray of bright light.

The moment the light dissipates, Diana and Akko notice that all the people around them are still cheering for them. Blushing, Akko gives her a big smile before starting to run, telling Diana that they had people back at the hospital that were waiting for them.

And Diana, finally feeling settled and happy, laughs as she runs next to Akko.

* * *

* * *

Once they make their way back to Luna Nova, Akko and Diana see how all the patients and some of the staff were waiting for them. Passing by many of their friends, which included Andrew and Lotte, the two women smile at them as they enter the room where the party was taking place. Yet instead of finding the familiar set-up that they had worked on, Akko and Diana noticed that the tables had been moved to the side and that a small dance floor had been improvised.

“Well…” Akko says to her as she extends her hand invitingly to Diana. “We can’t make all their effort go to waste, can we?”

Diana smiles and nods, taking Akko’s hand as they head to the dance floor.

“ _You're here where you should be. Snow is falling as the carolers sing. It just wasn't the same alone on Christmas day.”_

Smiling and blushing as they dance, Diana and Akko stay close, their whole attention on each other and on how special and wonderful this felt.

“ _Presents, what a beautiful sight. Don't mean a thing if you ain't holding me tight. You're all that I need. Underneath the tree.”_

In fact, all of this almost felt almost like…

“A movie?” Akko asks her knowingly and this makes her laugh. “I know, I thought the same thing.”

“Was I that obvious?” Diana asks as the two continue twirling around.

“Maybe?” Akko chuckles. “Or maybe I’ve just gotten good at knowing what you’re saying.”

“Very smooth.” the blonde teases her. “I know I have a bad poker face.”

“A _beautiful_ bad poker face.” Akko adds and the compliment makes Diana blush.

“Akko…” Diana whispers to her as the song reaches its instrumental part. “I really want to thank you for coming to find me tonight.”

Akko nods.

“And thank you.” Akko tells her just as bewitched. “For taking my hand.”

Nodding, the two are confused for a moment when they hear everyone laughing and cheering at them. Looking up at the ceiling, the two see a mistletoe right above them.

One that was definitely not there before.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” they hear their friends and patients tease them, which makes the two women blush.

Still, they can’t help but close the distance between them, the high of being together and of the celebration making them kiss in front of everyone.

A memory that Diana, even if Andrew teases her for years about it, will never regret.

**The End**


End file.
